Solder wick device

ABSTRACT

A desoldering device consisting of a cylindrical container housing a coil of stranded wire impregnated with a small amount of soldering flux, the container having an elongated outlet conduit through which the stranded wire is extended to act as a wick. The stranded wire absorbs melted solder by capillary action when the wire is held against a soldered joint and heat is applied thereto.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,726,464 Howell et al. 5] Apr. 10, 197354] SOLDER WICK DEVICE 2,575,960 11 1951 Huntington. ..206/52 w [76]Inventors: Thomas A. Howe, P O BOX 4672; 1,238,671 8/1917 Holcomb DeweySelle 1932 18th Place 3,245,597 4/1966 Kopemak 3,627,191 12/1971 Hood,Jr ..228/19 both of Yuma, Ariz. 85364 [22] Filed: Nov. 28, 1969 [21]Appl. No.: 880,573

[52] US. Cl ..228/19, 206/56 [51] Int. Cl. ..B23k 1/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..206/46 Y, 52 W, 56 M; 228/19, 57; 339/275; 29/426 ['56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,514,542 7/1950 GuestI.....206/56M 3,371,249 2/1968 Prohofsky ....3 17/101 1,484,202 2/1924Baker ....339/275 2,809,748 10/1957 Barnaby ..206/56 M PrimaryExaminer-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant Examiner-Robert J. CraigAttorney- Berman, Davidson and Berman ABSIRACT A desoldering deviceconsisting of a cylindrical container housing a coil of stranded wireimpregnated with a small amount of soldering flux, the container havingan elongated outlet conduit through which the stranded wire isv extendedto act as a wick. The

' stranded wire absorbs melted. solder by capillary action when the wireis held against a soldered joint and heat is applied thereto.

8 Clains, 4 Drawing Figures PATENIEnAPRmma 3,726,464

mwwrons. DEWEY 0. $5445,

4. HOWELL.

6 K Wu,

SOLDER WICK DEVICE This invention relates to solder removing devices,and more particularly to a desoldering device employing a wick whichabsorbs melted solder from a heated joint by capillary action.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improveddesoldering device for use in removing molten solder from electricalconnections or from other types of soldered joints to facilitate thedisconnection of the components associated with the joint, thedesoldering device being relatively simple in construction, being safeto use, and acting to successfully remove the major portion of themolten solder to which it is applied.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved desolderingdevice which involves inexpensive parts which is easy to manipulate, andwhich is provided with heat-insulating holding means so that it can behandled safely.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improveddesoldering device which employs an extensible solder-absorbing wickelement, the device also serving as a container for a reserve supply ofsaid wick element, and the device being so arranged that fresh portionsof said wick element may be extended, as required.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescription and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical desoldering device constructedin accordance with the present invention, shown with its wick elementapplied to a solder joint from which the solder is to be removed.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view taken through thedesoldering device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of a portion ofthe wick element employed in the desoldering device of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical cross-sectional view takensubstantially on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates a solder-removingdevice constructed in accordance with the present invention. The device11 comprises a generally cylindrical elongated container 12 of suitableheat-insulating material, such as polyethylene plastic material, thecontainer 12 having the rear end wall 13 and the centrally aperturedfront end wall 14 provided with a peripheral flange or rib 15. Thecontainer 12 is of sufficient length so that it may readily serve as ahandle for grasping the device, and since it is made of heatinsulatingmaterial, the container may be handled without risk of burning the usershand.

Designated at 16 is a forwardly tapering elongated outlet conduit whichis threadedly secured centrally in a circular supporting disk 17provided with an annular gripping flange 18 having an inturned lockingrim portion 19, forming a receiving cup or recess for the flanged frontwall 14 of container 12, as is clearly shown in FIG. 2. The part 17 ispreferably made of suitable somewhat resilient material, such aspolyethylene plastic material, so that the cover member 17 may be easilysnapped onto the flanged front wall 14 of the container 12 andthereafter be retained thereon. Part 16 is preferably made of a suitableheat-resistant, non-conductive material, such as Micarta, or similarmaterial.

As shown in FIG. 2, the elongated conduit portion 16 has an axialcentral bore 20 merging at its rear end with the rearwardly flaring boreportion 21 which, in turn, is in registry with the central aperture 22of the container right end wall 14, as viewed in FIG. 2. Disposed in thecontainer 12 is a supply coil of stranded copper wire 24 impregnatedwith a moderate amount of solder flux 25, a forward portion of thestranded flux-impregnated wire extending through the bore 20 with aportion thereof externally exposed, as shown at 26.

The stranded wire 24 is preferably of sufficient mass so that it notonly can absorb a substantial quantity of solder but also acts as aheat-absorbing element with respect to a joint to which it is applied,whereby it serves the purpose of a heat-sink and acts to minimize heatdamage to delicate parts adjacent to the joint, as will be presentlydescribed.

The stranded wire 24 comprises spirally curved strands 27, as shown inFIG. 3, which are of conventional configuration, the wire 24 being ofrelatively standard construction.

This type of wire is relatively flexible and is somewhat resilientlycompressible. The bore 20 is slightly less in diameter than the normalfree diameter of the wire, so that the bore 20 exerts frictional holdingforce on the wire. However, the bore 20 is large enough to allow thewire 24 to be manually pulled through the bore 20, for example, when itis desired to renew the exposed wick portion 26.

In using the device to remove solder from a joint, for example, from thejoint 30 shown in FIG. 1, the exposed wick portion 26 is held againstthe joint substantially in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1 and the hotsoldering tip 31 of asoldering iron is laid over the wick device so asto transmit sufficient heat to the joint 30 to melt the solder thereof.The molten solder will be drawn into the wick element 26 by capillaryaction, and the major portion of the solder will thereby be removed fromthe joint 30, freeing the joint and allowing it to be thereafter easilydisconnected. Thus, the solder can be removed from the jointsufficiently to allow the terminal wires thereof to be readily detachedwithout damage to such terminal wires and without damage to the partsassociated therewith. Furthermore, as abovementioned, the wick element26 serves as a heat sink device and prevents damage to the adjacentcircuit board, shown at 32, or to delicate parts in close relationshipto the point of application of the heat.

It will be noted that when the solder of the joint 30 melts, it wets thestrands of the wick element 26, the

' wetting action being facilitated by the presence of the soldering flux25, whereby the solder tins the wick element 26 and is drawn from thejoint 30 onto the wick element by capillary action.

When it is desired to expose a fresh untinned length of stranded wire 24for a subsequent desoldering operation, the previously tinned portion iscut off and the wire is pulled through the elongated outlet member 16 toexpose a desired length of fresh untinned wire to be employed as a wickelement.

It will be noted that since the parts of the device 11 are made ofinsulating material, there is no shock hazard involved in using thedevice, since the user's hand is completely insulated from thedesoldering wick element 26.

When the supply of stranded wire has been used up, the originalcontainer 12 may be replaced by a fresh container provided with a newcoil of wire. Thus, the front cover element 17 may be detached from theflanged front wall 14 of the old container and the end of the new pieceof stranded wire can be engaged through the bore 20, after which thecover member 17 may be snapped onto the new supply container.

In a practical embodiment of the invention, supply container 12 can holdapproximately feet of a stranded wick wire 24 coiled generally in themanner illustrated in FIG. 2, namely, in such a manner that the wire canbe pulled through the bore 20 easily without becoming tangled inside thecontainer. This can be done if the wire is coiled to form a helix asillustrated in FIG. 2.

While a specific embodiment of an improved desoldering device has beendisclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood thatvarious modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur tothose skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitationbe placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A desoldering device comprising a holder having a dispensingapertureand a length of stranded wire carried by the holder andextending through said dispensing aperture, whereby the extended endportion of the wire may be employed as a solder wick element, whereinsaid stranded wire is impregnated with soldering flux, whereby to inducecapillary action when the wick element is applied under heat to a solderjoint,

wherein said holder comprises an elongated container adapted to beemployed as a handle, and wherein said holder has an elongatedsubstantially rigid relatively small-diameter conduit portioncommunicating with said dispensing aperture, said stranded wireextending through and frictionally engaging in said conduit portion,whereby the extended end portion of the wire is substantially supportedagainst flexure adjacent the end of the conduit portion.

2. The'desoldering device of claim 1 and wherein said holder comprisesan elongated container substantially axially aligned with said conduitportion.

3.The desoldering device of claim 2 and wherein said container is madeof insulating material.

4. The desoldering device of claim 3 and wherein said container isgenerally cylindrical and said stranded wire is substantially helicallycoiled therein.

5. The desoldering device of claim 2 and wherein said container has afront wall provided with a peripheral flange and said elongated conduitportion has a transverse support element lockingly engagable with saidperipheral flange.

6. The desoldering device of claim 5 and wherein said transverse supportelement comprises a cover disk formed with a recess lockingly receivingsaid container front wall.

7. The desoldering device of claim 6, and wherein said containercomprises polyethylene plastic material.

8. The desoldering device of claim 6, and wherein said conduit portioncomprises Micarta.

1. A desoldering device comprising a holder having a dispensing apertureand a length of stranded wire carried by the holder and extendingthrough said dispensing aperture, whereby the extended end portion ofthe wire may be employed as a solder wick element, wherein said strandedwire is impregnated with soldering flux, whereby to induce capillaryaction when the wick element is applied under heat to a solder joint,wherein said holder comprises an elongated container adapted to beemployed as a handle, and wherein said holder has an elongatedsubstantially rigid relatively small-diameter conduit portioncommunicating with said dispensing aperture, said stranded wireextending through and frictionally engaging in said conduit portion,whereby the extended end portion of the wire is substantially supportedagainst flexure adjacent the end of the conduit portion.
 2. Thedesoldering device of claim 1 and wherein said holder comprises anelongated container substantially axially aligned with said conduitportion.
 3. The desoldering device of claim 2 and wherein said containeris made of insulating material.
 4. The desoldering device of claim 3 andwherein said container is generally cylindrical and said stranded wireis substantially helically coiled therein.
 5. The desoldering device ofclaim 2 and wherein said container has a front wall provided with aperipheral flange and said elongated conduit portion has a transversesupport element lockingly engagable with said peripheral flange.
 6. Thedesoldering device of claim 5 and wherein said transverse supportelement comprises a cover disk formed with a recess lockingly receivingsaid container front wall.
 7. The desoldering device of claim 6, andwherein said container comprises polyethylene plastic material.
 8. Thedesoldering device of claim 6, and wherein said conduit portioncomprises Micarta.